I'm Smarter Than You Think
by Wherever Girl
Summary: He always knew who he was, but was afraid to show it, unable to control it... until a certain boy with a problem of his own changed everything. Placed in Fangs' POV


Here's another one-shot from a random idea that just popped into my head. Beware.

Disclaimer: You know it already.

XxX

I will never forget the first time I met him. That pint-sized loudmouth that took every opportunity to degrade me, all because he thought I was an idiot. Little did he know I was smarter than I seemed.

I was thirteen when I first moved into the neighborhood. My parents told me not to go anywhere on my own, worried that something may happen to me, and had to talk to every teacher in my school in order to make sure everything would be alright once I enrolled. Of course, any parent would do this when they found out their child was a werewolf, and figured he was clueless about it.

Key word: Figured.

It was hard being a werewolf back in my old hometown. Some were even stupid enough to try and pick on me, not realizing they were just angering the beast within. Sometimes, when I thought about what my other half would do, I would unleash his wrath- mostly growling, unleashing a dueling personality that often scared others, warning them that it wasn't wise to mess with a kid who could turn into a werewolf.

Like that jerk I mentioned earlier.

That's why we had to move. I got into a fight with a kid, roughed him up pretty bad… the doctors said he would come out of his shock, but no one was sure. Situations like that were reasons why I denied being a werewolf, acting as if I didn't know I was one, just to play innocent. I managed to convince a few people, but some- like my parents- weren't (though they played along in my defense).

I figured moving to a new town could help me get a fresh start. Back in my old town, everyone thought I was a freak. Maybe in this town, more people would be more accepting, maybe there would be some who would think it was cool that I was a werewolf… but I didn't let my hopes get high, especially since I was even scared of my other half, even though I [sometimes] knew how to control him.

The first sign of me being wrong was when we moved next door to this little jerk. After we got our furniture moved into the house, my mom drove my dad to his new job, deciding to run to the bank and make a new account, both of them telling me to stay put and to keep out of trouble. I went into the backyard with a jar, deciding to see if I could find anything to add to my dirt collection (hey, we all have our own hobbies, don't we? Plus, it could come in handy someday). I set my jar down and looked at a patch of soil with a magnifying glass. My other half retreated to the back of my mind, clearly not interested- sometimes that happened between us. I'd be working on something, and he'd just have me do the work… it was hard in school, especially, considering he'd often forget what I studied for a test we'd have the next day. …Though, in a mutual reaction, I always had him do most of the physical work in PE, making him more strong while I was… less strong… which often gave him the upper hand in case we got into any fights, or had me get beaten if I were the one fighting.

Yeah. Hard being two people at once.

"What are you doing?" came a voice that broke my concentration… which would also someday break my spirit.

I looked up, seeing a kid with black hair peeking over the fence. "Collecting dirt… who are you?" I asked him, standing up and walking over, noticing he had to stand on an overturned flower-pot (and on the tip of his toes) to see over, so I figured he was younger than me by a couple years.

"Puggsy. Are you new?"

"Yeah. Do you go to school, here?"

He rolled his eyes- something I didn't think I'd have to get used to years later. "No, I go to school in Canada. Of course I go to school here, pinhead! I'm entering the 7th grade this fall,"

I scratched my head. "Really? How old are you?"

"Thirteen, how old did you think I was?"

"Um… eleven. Sorry, I didn't think-"

"You must not think much, then. FYI, not everyone's age has to match their height, you ignorpotomas,"

I scratched my head. "Ignor… is that even a word?"

The kid glared at me, scowling as he did. "Why don't you just go back to digging in the dirt, lame-brain." with that, he disappeared over the fence, walking back into his own house.

I cringed a bit. _Sheesh, that kid is pretty touchy… _I thought.

'_Want me to teach him a lesson in setting a good first impression?' _my other half coaxed, persuasively.

_No, no… I pretty much made the fluke. I guess he's just sensitive about his height and how he pronounces words…_

'_Doesn't mean he has to go and insult us. Just let me meet him, we'll see what he does,'_

I sighed, walking back into the house. _'Fine, but remember our agreement…'_

'_Yeah, yeah- you don't know me. I know.'_

XxX

It wasn't that I was ashamed of being a werewolf… I was just scared sometimes, like I said before. I thought it was cool having super-senses and strength, but most of the time I wasn't the one using them- he was. And that's what scared me.

Seeing the world through his eyes was interesting, how sharper everything seemed, and how I could practically see in dark areas like the shadows in the forest beyond. I knew my other half- he wanted to run to those forests and explore, but (being our voice of reason) I advised him to stay put like our parents said, informing him of what may happen if he took off in the woods by himself- a hunter could shoot him, he could get us lost, wild animals could attack… et cetera.

It was late afternoon. Dad would be getting home in ten minutes and Mom was making dinner- his sense of smell picked up the scent of lasagna, making us hungry, but he wanted to meet our neighbor first.

He peeked over the fence, seeing the kid was outside again, sitting back in a lawn-chair, reading a comic book. Before I could stop him, he spoke to the kid. "Hi there," he said.

_Dear lord, we're doomed, the kid's gonna run screaming, the police are gonna come over, mom and dad will have to explain everything, he's going to be walking around with a gun now, we'll have to move again… _I was half-griping, half-whimpering in my head.

The kid's reaction?

He threw a rock at me! …Or, us… or whatever. Either way, I still felt pain.

He was picking up another rock when my other half began to growl. '_Whoa, whoa, don't lose your temper!' _I quickly told him. '_Keep. Calm.'_

_Calm?! The pipsqueak chucked a rock at me! _he thought in reply.

'_Well, in case you've forgotten, you're a werewolf, so shock is the first thing someone feels when they first meet you. Just talk calmly to him…'_

"Take it easy, kid, I'm just saying 'hi'," my werewolf counterpart muttered, holding up his hands to shield himself when the kid got ready to throw another rock. "Sheesh, is this how you people greet your neighbors?"

"N-Neighbor?" Puggsy stammered, dropping the rock. "What do you mean 'neighbor'?"

"Well… that's what you call someone who lives next door to you, right? I'm new in the neighborhood, you can call me 'Fangface',"

That was the name he came up with himself- well, by 'himself' I mean I helped. It was meant for an insult, but he figured I had given him a name he could go by so he wouldn't have to use mine… in return, he nicknamed me 'Fangs', though I think he did it just to annoy me.

"Um, Puggsy…" the kid replied, introducing himself to the werewolf. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be that weirdo kid I met earlier, would you?"

_Can I snarl at him now? _Fangface thought.

'_Just say you have no idea what he's talking about,' _I replied, sighing to myself.

"What kid? (grr) Did someone else move here, too?" Fangface asked, playing dumb (he did a good job of it, though I wouldn't tell him that in case he tried killing me… in other words, committed a form of suicide).

"Um, never mind. You're not going to eat me, are you?" Puggsy asked.

_He asked! Can I?_

'_Be polite!'_

"No," Fangface said, rolling his eyes. _Depending how much you annoy me…_

'_I heard that!'_

_Good grief, you sound like our mother!_

"Okay… well… I gotta go. See ya!" With that, the kid ran back inside.

Fangface walked back indoors, feeling triumphant. _See, Fangs? Just let me handle everything, and that kid will give us no trouble!_

'_I hope…'_

XxX

I never let my hopes get too high, because I knew sooner or later the kid would overcome his shock at seeing a werewolf, like how everyone eventually did. Over the next couple of months, I got to know a few other people in the neighborhood- the first two who didn't see Fangface as a total threat were two kids named Biff and Kim. They lived uptown, but would come by to visit once in a while. Despite how nice they were, Fangface and I still denied knowing about each other- for the fact that I was still worried he'd do something stupid, and he didn't want Kim to think he knew he turned into a wimp. (I'm going to get him for that. I don't know how, but I'll get him).

The downside was that Puggsy grew used to living next door to us, and- despite the fact Fangface could swallow him whole- didn't really consider his manners. While Fangface gave me the name 'Fangs', he gave me the names 'meathead', 'pinhead', 'numbskull', and 'ignor-whatever-the-heck-he-says'. He even had the guts to call Fangface a few names, no matter how many times the werewolf snarled at him.

It was ironic that he was also friends with Biff and Kim. One day, I was sitting with Kim on the front porch (Biff was stuck doing chores), and I had to ask, "So, how come you're friends with Puggsy? He's kind of a jerk, don't you think?"

Kim shrugged. "He's not so bad once you get to know him." she answered. "He might be a little sour, but he's still a nice guy."

"He's not so nice to me. He keeps calling me names… one of them I don't really know how to pronounce… and he's always scowling at me and telling me to take a hike whenever I try talking to him,"

Kim took me by the hand just then. _'Hey! A girl's holding our hand! Ooh, ooh!' _Fangface thought excitedly.

_Uh…. _My mind was kind of blank at this moment.

"C'mon, lets go over and see if he wants to hang out. I'll make sure he doesn't pick on you," Kim coaxed.

"Uh…" was my only reply, as she was still holding my hand, and before I knew it we were standing at Puggsy's doorstep, and she was ringing the bell. "Hey, wait!"

Too late. The door opened, and there stood Puggsy. "Hi, Kim," he said, then gave me a look. "What do you want?"

"Pugs…" Kim said, kindly. "We were wondering if you'd like to come hang out. We're going to head up to Biff's house and see if he's done with his chores,"

"Sorry, I can't."

"Why not?" I asked.

"I just can't." With that sharp remark, he shut the door.

I couldn't help but wince a bit. Did he really find me annoying (or frightening?) enough that he wouldn't even hang out with his other friends when they were with me? I looked at Kim, seeing she was biting her lower lip. "C'mon… lets go see Biff," she said quietly.

I followed, noticing a sad look in her eyes, feeling bad that Puggsy just hurt her feelings like that. Kim was a nice girl, and I didn't want to see her cry over a jerk like him!

'_Now can I attack that little loudmouth?' _Fangface demanded.

I thought about all the insults, all the criticism, and how sad Kim was now, and my emotions clouded my common sense. _Yeah. Next time you see him, go ahead. _I thought.

XxX

I didn't realize the error of my ways until I changed into Fangface next, for the first thing on his mind was getting back at Puggsy. '_Wait, wait, WAIT!' _I was crying as he ran across our yard that night, going over to his, searching for the little loudmouth. But this time, he wasn't listening, and I was scared that it would be like last time, that he'd rough him up and we'd be forced to move again.

He was sitting in the backyard again, just staring up at the sky, when he heard Fangface's snarl. "Ah, great. What do you want now, nitwolf?" he sneered in response, clearly not afraid… though in a few minutes, he would be.

"I have a bone to pick with you, Pugs," Fangface replied, menacingly approaching him.

'_No! Oh, please, God, no…' _I was begging now. _'Don't do this again… please!'_

But he didn't listen, as if he were deaf at my voice.

Puggsy clearly didn't realize what he was in for, considering he stood his ground, acting like a tough-guy. "Yeah? Get picking, then," he sneered.

Fangface growled and ran toward him…

I didn't know what happened next, since I retreated to the back of the mind, daring not see what he was going to do. After a minute, I mustered up my courage and came back to consciousness, seeing that all he was doing was shaking the kid, who kept snapping at him to let him go, giving out his own threats. He managed to tear out of his grip and picked up a heavy stick, hitting Fangface on the head with it (giving me a headache as well), and as our vision began to refocus, it fell upon a bag of potato chips Puggsy left lying out.

Realizing it had been a while since I've eaten, I was hungry, and I knew Fangface was too, and I figured I could use this as a way to distract him from Puggsy. _'Hey, how about getting a bite to eat?' _I quickly suggested.

"Eat… eat!" Fangface said, licking his lips, looking at Puggsy…

'_No! NO!'_

Too late.

With a glomp, Fangface had attacked Puggsy and shoved him in his mouth! _'DON'T YOU DARE SWALLOW!' _I screamed at the top of my lungs. _'Don't even chew!'_

_Aw, c'mon! I missed dinner! _Fangface thought, while inside his mouth Puggsy was screaming and shouting curses that would make a grandmother faint.

'_Let him out NOW!'_

_I don't wanna!_

I began to grow frustrated. There was no way I could reason with him now…

Thankfully, someone had been watching.

Unfortunately, it was our mom. "Fangface!" she shouted, storming over to the yard, and threw Fangface to the ground, rubbing his foot. She had to do this before when I was two, and Fangface stuck an entire stuffed animal in his mouth and wouldn't let it out.

Puggsy shot out, covered in drool, and giving us the mother of all death-glares.

"I am SO sorry about that!" Mom apologized, then grabbed Fangface by the ear. "Fangface, apologize right now!"

"But he-" Fangface began to argue.

"NOW!"

No matter what kind of creature you are, you dare not challenge the wrath of your mother. "Sorry…"

"W-Whatever," Puggsy stammered.

"You, young man, are grounded for a month!" Mom snapped at Fangface. "I don't want you going anywhere near that boy, until you learn how to behave!"

She then dragged us back over to our house by the ear, sending us up to our room. _'Great. Are you happy now?! We're going to have to move again!' _I snapped.

_Well he deserved it! _Fangface thought.

I gave up, not bothering to argue now, and retreated to the back of the mind until the morning sun came back up.

XxX

A week passed since Fangface had attempted to eat Puggsy… and the funny thing was, no angry parents came storming to our doorstep to complain. I had been tense about it, bracing myself for the riot that would cause us to have to leave town, possibly moving back out to the small house we used to live in when I was a baby, before my parents got the idea that it was unfair that I had to be kept from the rest of the world because of my other half, and moved somewhere more social.

I paced the room, feeling mad, scared, weak, and confused. I was confused because I had no idea what to do now; I felt weak because I couldn't stop my other half from what he had done; I felt scared because I may never be able to control him again; and I felt mad because Puggsy was the cause of all of it. If the kid didn't act like such a jerk in the first place, I could have kept in-control of my other half and wouldn't give him a reason to attack the pint-sized creep.

Being grounded for the next three weeks, I was only allowed to go to school and come home- no seeing Biff or Kim, no watching television… nothing but doing homework and sitting around bored, waiting for dinnertime. I walked over to the window, looking out at the sunset. I looked down, seeing Puggsy in the yard, and I couldn't help but glare.

Until someone else came out. A large man, with graying brown hair, holding a folded belt in one hand while he grasped Puggsy with the other… and began whipping him on the back, a couple times in the face too. When the kid fell to his knees, the man began kicking him in the stomach next, then punched him in the face…

I could only stare in horror. Who was that man? Was it his father or something? And, more importantly, why was he beating up Puggsy? It made sense that Fangface would want to- being a werewolf, let alone a kid-werewolf, so picking fights was common. But an adult? No adult I've ever met struck a child like that- maybe whipping them on the rear, but in the face? And kicking them in the gut? That wasn't discipline… it was abuse.

The man then spat at him, then stormed back into the house, leaving Puggsy lying in the yard, not moving. I opened my window, preparing to climb out, thinking he was dead… but he slowly began to get up, sitting on his knees, his shoulders shaking. I watched as he stumbled toward the lawn chair, lying on it and looking upward…

Our eyes met for a moment, before I turned away, taking in a deep breath, then slowly turned to look out, only to see that he had turned on his side, not facing me.

XxX

After the sun went down, I snuck outside (careful not to look at the moon, since Fangface still had the urge to attack Puggsy… something I kept trying to get him to overcome now), and walked over to the fence, peeking over, seeing that Puggsy was no longer in the lawn chair. _Maybe he went back inside, _I thought.

"Don't tell," a voice said, and I looked down, seeing that he was now sitting beside the fence, leaning against it. "I don't want anyone to know,"

"Why not?" I asked him quietly.

"The last time someone said anything, he only hurt me worser."

"Who else knows?"

"Kim. She came over once a couple years ago. I gave her a kiss on the cheek, and that creepo was calling me a playboy and started to embarrass us, so I told her to go home. I thought she left, but she was only ducking behind the fence when the goon started to beat me, telling me I didn't know how to treat a girl right."

I arched an eyebrow. "But, all you did was kiss her on the cheek… wait you kissed Kim?"

"Don't tell anyone about that either, or I'll knock your teeth out. …anyway, she told her parents, and her dad came over to ask him about it, but he denied everything, claiming I was just getting fresh and he was just teaching me a lesson on how to decently treat a girl. He acted like a nice guy around me for a while, until he was sure no one was watching, then beat me for letting Kim tell, and told me to make sure she wouldn't try to tell on him again, or next time she came around he'd hurt her too and pin it on me."

I was stunned. "What kind of father would do that?"

Puggsy looked up at me and glared. "He's not my father… he's my fostercate-dad. My real parents couldn't afford to take care of me and I was taken away,"

"What about your fostercate… foster-mom, I mean?"

"She works late and doesn't know. That goon keeps telling her I keep getting into fights. He's been getting extra-rough with me and tried convincing her that you… that I've been getting in a fight with you."

I knew what he really meant- his foster-dad was getting rough and wanted to seem like Fangface was to blame. "Can't you tell the police or something?"

"They wouldn't believe me,"

"Have you've tried running away, then?"

"And be a coward? No way… besides, the cops would just find me and bring me back, so there's no point." He stood up, walking towards the house. "I'd better go in. The foster-mom is going to be home soon,"

"Puggsy?"

"What?"

I paused, unable to find anything to say. "Um… you can hang out with me, if you want. I don't think your foster-dad would try to hurt you over here," It was a lousy offer, but I wanted to say something encouraging.

"No thanks," Puggsy walked on, his words having a bitter ring to them, and I didn't have to wonder why.

XxX

The next evening I saw it again. I saw that man throw Puggsy out into the yard, punching him, whipping him… this time he went far enough to beat him with a wooden bat, hitting him in the abdomen. As if that weren't enough he then twisted his arm behind his back, as if to break it, and I could see tears in the kid's eyes.

This time, however, I was watching from the other side of the fence, not the window, and let anger fill up within me.

But it wasn't me standing there.

Once the man saw Fangface he paused and- before he could do anything- I allowed my other half to lunge, and tackle the man. _'Keep him away from Pugs,' _I advised.

Fangface listened. He knew about the abuse and, even though he still wanted to attack Puggsy, wanted to help him. I had transformed into him using a picture of the moon, once I heard shouting coming from next-door, and told my other half to wait by the fence and watch. Once he had seen what the man was doing, he forgot about his own rage. I knew he would… because he may be a werewolf, but he was also me. We shared the same emotions at that moment, and I kept filling his head with what Puggsy had told me the other night.

We stood in front of Puggsy now, snarling at the other man, who was holding his baseball bat. "Get out of here, you mangy mutt!" the man shouted, swinging his bat, trying to scare Fangface.

Pathetic. Fangface only growled, slicing at the bat, cutting it in half with his claws. "Leave Pugs alone," he growled. "Stop beating him up, or I'll…"

'_Growl, just keep growling' _I told him, not wanting him to spill any blood.

"If I want to beat that kid, I'll do it! I don't need some flea-bitten beast to tell me so!" the man shouted, then drew a knife. "Now get out of here, or else I'll…"

"Stop right there!" came a shout, and our parents came running over, my father being the one who spoke.

"That's our son you're threatening!" Mom snapped.

"Well… your son is trying to hurt my kid!" The man lied.

"Is not… and I'm not your kid!" Puggsy spoke up.

"Son, is it true that this man has been beating you?" Dad asked, obviously hearing the man shouting. I had made sure Mom would be home, and knew she would call Dad if my other half was getting rough with the neighbors again.

"I was just showing a little discipline…" The man tried to lie again.

"With a baseball bat?!" My mother questioned. "I'm calling the police,"

The man held up his knife. "Try it, and I'll-"

'_Fangface, stop him before he tries anything,' _I ordered.

With a growl, Fangface lunged, tackling the man once more and knocking the knife out of his hand. He kept him pinned down long enough for Mom to go and call the police. Once they arrived, they told them everything, and the man was hauled away, never to be heard from again.

Fangface then knelt beside Puggsy. "Are you okay?" he asked. I didn't even tell him to… because he was concerned himself.

"Yeah, I didn't need your help," Puggsy said… then, for the first time, smiled. "But thanks for getting that creep off my back,"

"(grr) No problem, Pugs. No problem." he helped him to his feet, and lead him back to our house. Our folks said he could stay until his foster-mom got home, despite he said he'd be alright on his own. "Say, Pugs, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Well... last week. Back in my old hometown, whenever I'd attack someone, they'd always turn me in. How come you never told anyone?"

Puggsy scoffed. "Are you kiddifying? If I told anyone, they'd think that goon was telling the truth. I wasn't going to blab and give him a reason to pulverize me. ...Besides, there's a good kid inside you somewhere, and he doesn't deserve to get run out of town."

I wanted to cry, but my other half's masculinity prevented me... still, we were both touched. "Thanks, Pugs."

"Don't mention it, Fangface."

I was relieved. I could tell things were going to be okay from then on.

XxX

As the years went by, we graduated school, and went on the road with Biff and Kim, facing the most horrifying threats I've ever seen, and frankly… I was horrified. One reason why my friends always called on Fangface to help because, until there was a time where I was able to help them on my own, he knew how to handle trouble.

Puggsy was still a jerk, meaning every time I transformed I had Fangface teach him a lesson… though ever since the first incident, I've been trying to keep him from eating him every time he saw food or heard a food word, as I was getting tired of having the taste of my best friend in my mouth and kept running out of mouthwash. But he was still a good friend to both of us, so I can't complain much. We even located his real parents, and they were happy to see that their son was alright, and he was happy to be with them again (who wouldn't be?)

I still haven't told my friends that I knew I was a werewolf, sometimes because I had gotten used to denying it and playing dumb all the time that it never crossed my mind. But I plan on telling them someday.

Because I'm not scared anymore.

**FIN.**


End file.
